Check It Out: Read before viewing
With all of the television shows coming out, the ones based on books will probably be the easiest to judge, right away. After all, if you didn't like Jeff Lindsay's Darkly Dreaming Dexter, there's a pretty good chance you won't like the series based on his novels.
So here's a list of books you might want to check out before you choose your prime-time entertainment:
Lipstick Jungle, by Candace Bushnell. On Sept. 24th, the television show based on the book returns to NBC. In its second season, the show is produced by the Sex and the City author, which signals to me that it probably stays true to her original vision. If you're a fan of Carrie and the girls, you'll probably want to give this book -- and the show -- a spin.
Saving Charlie, by Aury Wallington. Heroes is, by all measures, a wildly successful show on NBC. As such, it's spawned a rash of media crossovers, including a webcomic, a magazine, and this book, which tells the story behind Hiro Nakamura and Charlie Andrews' relationship.
How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, by Zoey Dean. The CW has a new show, called Privileged, in which a Yale-educated ex-journalist is hired as a live-in tutor for, you guessed it, filthy rich girls. Dean is also known for her A-List series, and producers of the show had a hand in everything from Gilmore Girls to 30 Rock and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. If you're into chick-lit, I say go for it.
Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream, by H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger. This crowd-pleaser is not only a 1990 memoir of a real Odessa, Texas football team, it also a 2004 film, starring Billy Bob Thornton. Apparently the movie isn't quite as real as the book, and the television show takes it a step further -- the town it's set in doesn't even exist. The NBC show returns for its third season on Oct. 1, giving you plenty of time to check out the book and movie, and compare.
Le Morte d'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory. NBC's Merlin claims to explore the knights of the roundtable in the 21st-century. I'm a big dork, so of course I'm in. But you may want to check out the source material. If 15th-century novels aren't your thing, T.H. White's The Once and Future King is also fantastic.
Gossip Girl, by Cecily von Ziegaser. If sex, drugs and scandal interests you, you've probably already read and watched the CW's Gossip Girl. If you're new to the game, there's the original series, two spin-offs and a legion of fans waiting for you to discover them.
While she always preferred The Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew, 
Comments
Friday Night Lights was a great book, but a reminder: "Friday Night Lights" the show will air on DirecTV first in October, on Channel 101. The episodes won't air on NBC until February. Also, the season has been shortened to 13 episodes.
Posted by: Claude | September 11, 2008 12:04 PM